Five of the best things to do in and around Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth in the next seven days

Peter Ormerod

From exploring British motor history to hearing sacred sounds, there's plenty to do...

1 MUSIC
Warwick Folk Festival, Warwick School, Myton Road, Warwick, July 27 to 30
The four-day extravaganza gets underway on Thursday at a night headlined by DJ and journalist Andy Kershaw. His one-man show has become a hugely successful highlight of many literary festivals – including a sold-out appearance at Hay on Wye – and a popular draw at theatres and arts centres around the UK. The two hour audio-visual presentation treats the audience to recollections from a life spent on the front lines of rock and roll, and on the front lines of some of the world’s most extreme and dangerous countries. Also on the bill for Thursday are Eve Loiseau singing the songs of Edith Piaf, along with Elephant Sessions, Rob Barratt, Tom Lewis, Amy Kakoura & Andrew Sharpe and The Johnny Collins Legacy. The festival, one of the biggest events on the county’s music calendar,
is headlined this year by ward-winning Scottish singer Barbara Dickson, with other acts including the uniquely entertaining Australian Spooky Men’s Chorale and Oysterband. Plenty of events are taking place at various venues throughout the town, too.
Details: warwickfolkfestival.co.uk

2 ART
Pamela Schilderman, Leamington Art Gallery and Museum, until September
Pamela’s mixed media work Casket challenges the traditional self-portrait by using a thumbprint, hair, teeth, retina and DNA in order to present an alternative visual perspective of the self through the lens of criminological science.
Details: warwickdc.gov.uk/royalpumprooms

3 FAMILY
British Motoring Treasures, British Motor Museum, Gaydon, until September 3
A treasure trove of family activities is on offer this summer at the British Motor Museum. Every Monday, families can get to know Lady Edwards, Chauffeur William or Clippies Mavis and Mabel as the costumed explainers bring the collection to life with engaging interactive plays about Britain’s motoring past. From Tuesday to Saturday visitors can make their own Motoring Treasures in family craft workshops. Every day there are family museum tours at 1.30pm led by a costumed character
Details: britishmotormuseum.co.uk

4 MUSIC
St Peter’s church, Wormleighton, July 22
The acclaimed Interdum Singers will be giving an exclusive performance at the church this weekend. Starting at 4.30pm, the 20-strong choir will perform at a special thanksgiving service for the hoped-for completion of the first phase of repair work to the church. Part-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the £140,000 project is making repairs to St Peter’s, with the first part focusing on weather-proofing the building.
During the choral evensong, the Interdum Singers will sing the Magnificat and Nunc Dimitis. Details: thebridges group.org.uk

5 FAMILY
Wings and Water, Compton Verney, July 23
See the county’s best model aircraft pilots in action, admire some scale replicas of real planes and try to fly a plane yourself using a large screen simulator.
Details: comptonverney.org.uk